Following last week's fund-raising launch in Birmingham, I've been trying to promote the appeal. Last week I had an MRI scan on my leg and this week I have been back to the doctors for another unrelated leg problem - this time it is a bruise which has swelled quite badly and hasn't reduced in size for the past 2-3 weeks.
Monday May 2 - Sunday May 8, 2016
It was back to the hospital this week - but for a celebration event rather than a health appointment. The Centre for Clinical Haematology at the hospital is celebrating its 10th anniversary and to mark the occasion, the charity Cure Leukaemia has launched a £3 million appeal to establish the Birmingham Institute of Haematology. At the launch today I was speaking to television presenter Adrian Chiles and former footballer Geoff Thomas.
I also had to have an out-of-hours MRI scan for the pain in my leg.
Monday April 25 - Sunday May 1, 2016
I've been to the dentist this week for a check-up. This is the first check I have had since my transplant. I've had bad experiences in the past with my usual NHS dentist and as I have certain risks to avoid, this appointment in Birmingham was arranged through the hospital.
The dentist is a specialist when it comes to dealing with patients with low platelets and other problems.
Monday April 18 - Sunday April 24, 2016
I think the low sports car we used for this year's BONE-shaker MARROW-thon has caused me a few problems. I have been in severe pain this week with my hips and joints and have had to resort to a walking stick. I have been close to needing a wheelchair this week as the pain has been terrible.
Monday April 11 - Sunday April 17, 2016
Our charity ride last week was a huge success and we have raised around £1,000 which is split automatically between Cure Leukaemia, Anthony Nolan and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. If you would like to donate to boost the total further, you can do via:
Click here to donate
Meanwhile, I've been to the hospital again this week. My blood tests are okay but I am suffering severe pain in my hip joint. I have been booked in for an MRI test. My thyroid tests also need repeating.
Monday April 4 - Sunday April 10, 2016
This week we received the Mazda MX5 in preparation for the ride at the weekend. This also involved having photographs taken for the newspaper for some last-minute publicity.
The ride on Sunday, April 10, 2016 went exactly to plan and we estimate we had somewhere in the region of 110-130 bikers joining us from two different starting venues and heading to the National Brewery Centre. This year we had the added benefit of having a video/photographer riding with us who filmed the entire ride for us.
Video - Part one of two
Video - Part two of two
Monday March 28 - Sunday April 3, 2016
With just a week to go until our charity ride, we are now into the last minute plans. Meanwhile, this week I have been to Burton's Queen's Hospital for a blood test for my possible thyroid problem.
Monday March 21 - Sunday March 27, 2016
We have had no joy in securing a motorcycle for our charity ride and so we had to look elsewhere. Stephen knows many people in the motoring sector thanks to his years of carrying out motors reviews. He therefore contacted Mazda and they have agreed to loan us the use of an open-top MX5 for the ride. Although we will have to carry out the ride in a car, at least it will be in style.
Monday March 14 - Sunday March 20, 2016
Our charity banner has now been put up at the National Brewery Centre to help with publicity in the town. This coupled with publicity in the newspaper and a strong position on social media should hopefully result in a good event on April 10th. The biggest set-back is still the lack of any transport for our ride - we have yet to secure a motorcycle.
Monday March 7 - Sunday March 13, 2016
We met with students on the public services course at Burton and South Derbyshire College.The students will be helping with bucket collections on the day of the ride. As we have secured permission to collect in the Octagon Shopping Centre this year, we hope to increase the totals the students manage to achieve.
Their support will be publicised in the newspaper and so a photograph was taken for the story by the college photographer.
Monday February 29 - Sunday March 6, 2016
As our charity ride is now just a month away, things have started to get busy with the planning stages. We are in talks with all of the charities and hope to get help from students at Burton and South Derbyshire College.
Monday February 22, 2016 - Sunday February 28, 2016
I'm quite keen to get back to the doctors to have my thyroid function tested again but unfortunately I still have another couple of weeks to wait. Once I have the test, the results will then be sent to Birmingham for further analysis. If my thyroid is under/over active, then I will have another tablet to add to my daily collection of medication.
Monday February 15, 2016 - Sunday February 21, 2016
We collected the banner for our forthcoming charity ride this week. Local companies have once again kindly supported us with our ride as we raise money for blood cancer charities.
Monday February 8, 2016 - Sunday February 14, 2016
Plans are starting to come together for our BONE-shaker MARROW-thon charity motorcycle ride which this year takes place on Sunday April 10th. The ride will raise money as usual for Cure Leukaemia, Anthony Nolan and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
Monday February 1, 2016 - Sunday February 7, 2016
If my thyroid levels prove to be out of balance, this explains many side-effects and symptoms I have been suffering with for months. Common problems associated with thyroid troubles can include fatigue and changes in body weight.
Monday January 25, 2016 - Sunday January 31, 2016
It was back to the doctors this week for another 'sick note' for my employer. Within days of this visit I received a letter from one of the consultants in Birmingham as they have detected some abnormalities in some of my test results. This relates to my thyroid function as two of the thyroid test areas are out of the normal range. A re-test is needed within the next few weeks to decide the next course of action.
Monday January 18, 2016 - Sunday January 24, 2016
This week I experienced a few days of stomach ache and I've got an annoying ache in my right-hand-side pelvis. The stomach ache I am putting down to something I have eaten (these things just affect me worse and for longer nowadays) while I am unsure about the pelvis pain. One of my tablets (Nilotinib) has a known side-effect of causing 'bone pain/aches' and therefore it could be this, it could also be a result of the many holes I have in my pelvis where they have extracted bone and bone marrow for testing.
Monday January 11, 2016 - Sunday January 17, 2016
It's been a busy week as not only did we have the first snowfall of 2016, it was also my husband's birthday. Health-wise I have been okay this week and I'm pleased to say that the quinine tablets I take to improve the cramp in my toes is now making a difference. I cannot say that the cramp problem has been solved, but the quinine has helped.
Monday January 4, 2016 - Sunday January 10, 2016
We were back at the hospital again this week for another appointment. While last week was quiet, today was a nightmare with cars queuing for the car park, standing room only in the waiting room and an average delay of two hours. Thankfully we only had to wait an extra 40 minutes to see my consultant. There was a massive change compared to last week's visit - the entire experience was quite stressful.
Monday December 28, 2015 - Sunday January 3, 2016
Christmas we ahead as planned as my dad's nasty chest infection cleared just in time. The bad news is that my dad's infection has now returned - worse than before. Because of the infection risk, the only communication between us can now be via telephone. We returned to the hospital this week for a check-up and as most people are still on their festive break, both clinic and traffic were quiet.
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